Appalachia 2017 – Day 5

June 28, 2017

Wednesday is traditionally our “off” day. After the chaperones cooked bacon, eggs and pancakes for breakfast, we loaded up the vans and drove about 90 minutes to Breaks Interstate Park – which straddles the Kentucky/Virginia border. With another brilliant weather day, we had ideal conditions for a day by the pool, or hiking the trails, or horseback riding. After working hard for two days – and two more days coming – everyone took advantage of this day off.

Before I share some more info on our evening, here are a few more pictures from the worksites on Tuesday …

From our visit to Breaks Interstate Park:

After returning to Neon, people grabbed a quick shower before pizza – and our annual trip to the Pentecostal church in Mayking for their Wednesday evening prayer service. Johnny, one of the crew leaders for HOMES and the church’s pastor, extends an invitation to us annually to join his congregation in song and prayer (and for ice cream following). We always appreciate the warmth and hospitality – as Johnny greets us at the door and members of the congregation work around the room shaking everyone’s hand. Without a doubt, the service is a different than the Catholic mass which we are all accustomed to, but joining our voices together (shout out to Liv Keden who sang Ave Maria for the group) and praying together to Jesus is always a special evening. This year was no different – visiting Johnny and his church family gave us the opportunity to more fully appreciate the culture and life of this local community.

Thursday will bring everyone back out to the work sites to continue their efforts on each project. More stories and more photos tomorrow. Until then…